Fast food consumption has been linked to a variety of health problems, including an increased risk of liver disease. While it’s important to note that not all fast food consumption causes liver disease, studies have shown a link.
A new study discovered that eating fast food is linked to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a potentially fatal condition in which fat accumulates in the liver. The new year has arrived, and with it, new year’s resolutions.
A study published today in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology by Keck Medicine at USC provides additional motivation for people to reduce their fast-food consumption. The study discovered that eating fast food is linked to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a potentially fatal condition in which fat accumulates in the liver.
Researchers discovered that people with obesity or diabetes who eat fast food for 20% or more of their daily calories have significantly higher levels of fat in their liver than those who eat less or no fast food. When one-fifth or more of their diet consists of fast food, the general population experiences moderate increases in liver fat.
Our findings are particularly concerning because fast-food consumption has increased over the last 50 years, regardless of socioeconomic status. We are concerned that the number of people with fatty livers has increased even more since the survey.
Ani Kardashian
“Healthy livers contain a small amount of fat, usually less than 5%, and even a moderate increase in fat can lead to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease,” said Ani Kardashian, MD, a hepatologist with Keck Medicine and lead author of the study. “The severe rise in liver fat in those with obesity or diabetes is especially striking, and probably due to the fact that these conditions cause a greater susceptibility for fat to build up in the liver.”
While previous research has shown a link between fast food and obesity and diabetes, Kardashian claims that this is one of the first studies to show the negative impact of fast food on liver health.
The findings also show that a small amount of fast food, which is high in carbohydrates and fat, can be harmful to the liver. “If people eat one meal a day at a fast-food restaurant, they may believe they aren’t doing any harm,” Kardashian explained. “However, if that one meal equals at least one-fifth of their daily calories, they are putting their livers at risk.”
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, also known as liver steatosis, can progress to cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver, which can lead to cancer or failure of the liver. Over 30% of the population in the United States has liver steatosis.
Kardashian and colleagues examined the most recent data from the 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the nation’s largest annual nutritional survey, to determine the impact of fast-food consumption on liver steatosis.
The study defined fast food as meals, including pizza, from a drive-through or a restaurant without wait staff. The researchers compared the fatty liver measurements of about 4,000 adults whose fatty liver measurements were included in the survey to their fast-food consumption.
Of those surveyed, 52% consumed some fast food. Of these, 29% consumed one-fifth or more daily calories from fast food. Only this 29% of survey subjects experienced a rise in liver fat levels. The association between liver steatosis and a 20% diet of fast food held steady for both the general population and those with obesity or diabetes even after data were adjusted for multiple other factors such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, alcohol use, and physical activity.
“Our findings are particularly concerning because fast-food consumption has increased over the last 50 years, regardless of socioeconomic status,” Kardashian said. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve also seen a significant increase in fast-food dining, which is likely related to a decline in full-service restaurant dining and rising rates of food insecurity. We are concerned that the number of people with fatty livers has increased even more since the survey.”
She hopes that the study will encourage health care providers to provide more nutrition education to patients, particularly those who are obese or diabetic and are at a higher risk of developing a fatty liver from fast food. At the moment, the only way to treat liver steatosis is to improve one’s diet.
